EDC 202 - Human Growth Development & Learning

3 Credit Hour(s)
2 Lecture Hour(s)
2 Lab Hours(s)
Prerequisite(s): PSY 132 with a grade of C or higher
This course examines human growth, development, and learning from conception through adulthood, emphasizing application of developmental principles to educational practice. Students will explore physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, and linguistic development, learning processes, and motivation. The course highlights learner-centered instruction, culturally responsive teaching, and equitable assessment strategies that recognize diversity and the assets each learner brings. Multicultural and pluralistic topics affecting development, including characteristics and concerns between and within diverse groups nationally and internationally, are explored. Modules include early development through adolescence and an abbreviated focus on adulthood, including adult learning and care, as well as supporting students through experiences of death, dying, and bereavement. This course includes assignments that require 3-5 hours of directed observations in educational settings that may require a background check.

This course aligns with the Illinois Professional Educator Standards (2023) and the Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards (2022). Students will examine human development and learning through a lens of equity, inclusion, and professional responsibility, applying these principles to educational practice across the lifespan. Assignments and field experiences are designed to support successful transfer to four-year institutions and prepare students for future licensure pathways.